The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-04-03
THE LAST BUFFALO HUNT.
The Smithsonian Outfit Gets cleft" Be-
ing Robbed of Hard-Earned Prey.
Skulkirg Savages Steal the Skin of Mighty
Bull-War-P and Defiance
Hunters Hopping Mad.

t.
the Jungle''-Copy righted
AS said before. the rest Of the boys had
buffalo hunt while I was wrestling with the
skins and skeletons of the four already killed,
and this was how it happened:
1t had taken US the whole of the day following
our first ''kill' to get to the Buffalo Buttes
as we afterward named them, and skin one buff
falo. We camped in the coulie where we found
the water, and early the next morning started
cut with the empty wagon to visit the three re-
naming buffalo, skin them and haul in their
hides. Russell rode to high butte, mile away
from course to take look, and Jim Nc
Nancy rode off south on a hunt While the rest
Of us were working like beavers to dig a crossing
for the wagon at a very deep coulie Russell came
galloping down to us, shouting:
"Take out that brown horse! There are four
more buffalo down yonder"
We dropped our tools, unhitched both horses,
and snatched the harness off their backs in just
about two minutes. They were both capital
horses for hunting buffalo, even though one was
blind of an eye. Russell was eager to kill
buffalo that gave him old Brown in place of
The Digger he was then riding. Feeling sure
that my buffalo bull would spoil unless staid
by to keep him from it, gave Brown my roam
horse, saddle and rife, that he might have go
ut the buffalo. The seventh man of our party,
private West, who was furlough and had
elected to remain with US, took The Digger. bare
backed, and joined the chase.
They overlook four buffalo in the bad grounds
north of me, across Taylor creek. but, owing to
the bad behavior of Boyd's horse. which
very high spirited they did not get a single
good shot from the ground. At the first alarm
away went the buffalo. with all hands hard after
them. Russell soon overlook the bunch,
wounded COW, brought her down a little later,
and stopped long enough to Kill her. Or the
others two were fine old bulls, and one was q
frisky yearling. Boyd wounded one of the bulls,
which left the others, headed west, ard settled
down for a long run, with the cowpuncner in
hot pursuit.
Russell gave chase to the other bull, which
the calf with for long distance. and fol-
lowed him under whip and spur while he de-
scribed immense semi circle of about five
miles. The hunt swung around me as II | we're
. pivot, part going one way and part the other
heard every one of the shots, and even saw
part of the chase but was poweress to join it.
Even if pursuit ia not better than possession. it
certainly is more exciting. On each of the three
different times when the rifles began their rapid
fusillade among the distant hills and the pecu.
liar muffled siam of each shot was waited to-
my eager ears ney made me dance around that
big bull skin with the impotence of hound
chained in sight of fox-chase. It was dread
fully tautalizing, and no one else will ever know
what suffered that day. All could do was to
go to EN-, boys-great guns! I wish l was
therep'
Russell finally overhaulsd his bull away off to
the southeast rode close alongside of him as he
ran, and emptied his six shooter into tine top of
his loins He died. Meanwhile the calf got
away from Russell only to run foul of Jim, two
miles further south. Jim saw him coming, and,
when he had fairly arrived. sent ball through
his lungs, which promptly ended his career.
Boyd's bull led him weary chase. He ran
about three miles west, crossed Taylor creek
and ran three miles south. then bore off south
east and ran about eight miles more. Then
Boyd and Jim came together, and by a very
clever msneuver got within range of the burly
old bison. fired together and killed him. AS
it then late in the afternoon, and
they were six miles from camp they neatly
disemboweled the buffalo, ripped the skin of the
legs facilitate the final act the morrow. and
returned to camp Before the day ended the
rest of us had skinned all the dead buffalo ex-
cept Russelrs COW Boyds bull and the yearllng
calf. They so far off we could not get at
them, nor had we time to haul in any of the
hides 1t would be hard matter for eight buff
falo to be more effectualy scattered. or in worse
ground than those killed up to that time. But
il we had even dreamed of what was going to
happen that night there would have been
mounting and riding after worse game than
buffalo.
That night the whole camp was jubilant. We
blood on his whiskers. We had bagged eight
buffalo out of fourteen. and in less than month
had nearly half completed our allotted task. We
chopped up sage brush. built a rousng fire down
Ia the bottom of the coulie, cooked and Toasted
IN savory rurnp de buffalo, tenderloin ia COW.
puncher, canned corn, Dutch-oven bread and
,ofee. The man with weak appetite was not
here. We joked and laughed, and sang songs
md told each other all manner of lies about OUT
adventures until our beds in dry grass fairly
!lawned for us. The weather was simply elori
rus and our sumbers not loud but deep.
The next morning it was planned that Russell
Chould ride back to our camp on Calf creek for
Dack-load Of salt. oats and grub Boyd and Brown
we're to skin the cow in the bad grounds, while
West and should take the wagon. and with jim
for pilot, 20 to the calf and big bull, skin both
md haul in the hides.
1t was q long and tedious drive. To get arount
q great and series of impossible couies that la,
10 our way, and find practicable route alon!
vhe divide, we had to drive three or four mile
away from our destination before we could evel
start toward it. Fortunately the ground wa
good. Thera was no sage brush to pull through
and the surface OF the high-rolline upland wa
rs smooth and hard as meadow. Indeed. i
was a vast, closely-shaven, natural meadow O
buffalo grass, as fine as can be found in all Mon
taua
Jim trotted ahead to find practicable rout
for the wagon. and whenever the surface per
mitted We ratified along at lively rate to accom-
plish our task and get back to camp befor
dark. We passed half a dozen herds of ante
lope, containing seventy or eighty head all told
the greatest number we saw in one day durin
the whole trip. We could have easily killed tw
or three, but resolutely resisted all temptation
and did not fire a single shot. Excepting one O
two coyotes that got up and sneakingly trotte
of out of sight, We saw other living creature,
In spite of brisk driving and stops, it wa
o'clock in the afternoon when we reached tn
yearng calf, bat in less than half an hour
was measured. skinned quartered and landed i
the wagon. Without losing moment wa the
set out for the big bull. which still three
four miles further Boyd had declared thu
by the fairest kind of hand measurement tbs
buffalo was six feet high at the shoulders-a pc
feet monster in size. every way considered. H
had dlated upon the magnificent proportion
and pelage OF that bull until my expectation
had been raised to the highest pitch. and | sal
to the boys: Now. if that bull really is I'll
largest when he comes under the tape-line he
the one we will mount for the museum" Sine
he was In all likelihood the largest one in Il
lot, was sorry that had not been the one
kill him. But no matter-it was all in tt
family.
AS we neared our prize the country grew NOR
rough, and the buttes all looled so much alk
Jim missed his direction n time or two and too
little out of our way. We wound in an
out, up and down. across coulies and aroun
buttes for long time, until at last we saw Jir
pull up aud look back at US.
Hes found it," said West. cts down in tn
bed of this coulie" But we could not see il We